Bennett et al. (2003)Bennett, S., Tooth, L., McKenna, K., Rodger, S., Strong, J., Ziviani, J., Mickan, S., & Gibson, L. (2003). Perceptions of evidence‐based practice: a survey of Australian occupational therapists. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 50(1), 13-22.
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Cross-sectional non-experimental study, quantitative |
42 children (17 girls e 25 boys) ages of 5, 7 months and 7 years and 4 months without interdisciplinary intervention |
Moderate and positive correlations between touch, awareness, balance and social scores of Sensory Processing Measure (SPM) - Home and play ability elaborated in ChiPPA. |
Sample by convenience |
Roberts et al. (2018)Roberts, T., Stagnitti, K., Brown, T., & Bhopti, A. (2018). Relationship between sensory processing and pretend play in typically developing children. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72(1), 1-8.
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Score 4/8 and 2/2 |
CHIPPA |
SPM Home and School |
Moderate and positive correlations between social participation (SPM School) and symbolic play (Chippa). |
Results from an specific population |
Austrália |
Tomchek et al. (2015)Tomchek, S. D., Little, L. M., & Dunn, W. (2015). Sensory pattern contributions to developmental performance in children with autism spectrum disorder. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 69(5), 1-10.
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Retrospective review of clinical data - quantitative |
400 children, most of them with ASD (322), unspecified development disorder (67) and Asperger (11). |
Low tone and reactivity scores contributed significantly to expressive language scores, receptive language with the addition of sensory search/distractibility. |
Exclusive Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnostics aspects and lack of ASD |
Score 5/8 and 2/2 |
Sensory search/distractibility scores showed a significant contribution to gross and fine motor and social behavior. |
Lack of a comparison group of children |
Multivariate regression |
High and low adaptive functions differed in: Tactile / movement sensitivity and hyporesponsiveness, while the three groups (high, medium and low) differed in Taste/Smell Sensitivity and Sensory Demand/Distractibility. |
(MANO-VAs) |
Kansas |
EUA |
Each child demonstrated a unique response to the use of the ball chair therapy. |
Low number of children |
Bagatell et al. (2010)Bagatell, N., Mirigliani, G., Patterson, C., Reyes, Y., & Test, L. (2010). Effectiveness of therapy ball chairs on classroom participation in children with autism spectrum disorders. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 64(6), 895-903.
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Single subject with drawing A-B-C - quantitative- |
6 boys with ASD (children with moderate to severe autism). |
Regarding engagement, the use of the ball chair therapy did not affect positively. |
School time restrictions |
Score 4/8 and 1/2 |
SPM (school) |
1 teacher and 3 assistants |
Teacher perception: Ball chair therapy does not appear to be beneficial for any of the students, preferring to use it at other specific times. |
No basal sample |
Questionnaire on social validity |
Children's Choice: All children understood the process of choice except one; the children varied their choices between the days, most of the days they did choose the ball. |
Uncontrollable variables within the classroom |
Los Angeles - USA |
Not considering the sensory pattern |
Engel-Yeger (2008)Engel-Yeger, B. (2008). Sensory processing patterns and daily activity preferences of Israeli children. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 75(4), 220-229.
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Comparative cross-sectional study with a convenience sample - quantitative- |
134 Israeli children, ages 6 to 10 |
Children with atypical sensory processing patterns were more likely to participate in physical activity and sports compared to children with typical processing patterns. |
Relatively small sample |
- 25 children with atypical sensory sensitivity (9 in definite difference and 16 in probable difference) |
The lower the child's alertness level, the greater the preference for participating in more stationary activities without movement. The two most preferred activities among children with atypical sensory processing patterns were water sports (94.7%) and going to the movies (94.7%). |
Large number of variables and comparisons evaluated |
Score 5/8 and 2/2 |
Short Sensory Profile (SSP) (McIntosh et al., 1999McIntosh, D. N., Miller, L. J., Shyu, V., & Dunn, W. (1999). Development and validation of the short sensory profile. In W. Dunn (Ed.), Sensory profile manual (pp. 59-73). San Antonio: Psychological Corporation.) |
- 109 children with typical performance. |
Among children with typical sensory processing patterns, younger children were more likely than older children to be involved in most Preference for Children's Activities (PCA) scales. |
-Demographic Survey |
- Preference for Children's Activities (PCA) (King et al., 2007King, G. A., Law, M., King, S., Hurley, P., Hanna, S., Kertoy, M., & Rosenbaum, P. (2007). Measuring children’s participation in recreation and leisure activities: construct validation of the CAPE and PAC. Child: Care, Health and Development, 33(1), 28-39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2214.2006.00613.x. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2214.20...
) |
Israel |
Lawson & Foster (2016)Lawson, L. M., & Foster, L. (2016). Sensory patterns, obesity, and physical activity participation of children with autism spectrum disorder. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 70(5), 1-8. Score 5/8 and 2/2 |
Retrospective correlational study with quantitative approach |
- 67 children (62 boys and 5 girls) aged 4 to 13 years. - 87% ASD and others indicating a diagnostic subcategory |
Significant but weak relationship between BMI and infant sensory processing. |
- Children in private situations |
- Demographic Questionnaire |
There were no other correlations between Sensory Profile scores and weight. |
- Recreation Participation |
Children's participation in 16 different |
- Information based on parent reports |
- Log Sensory Profile |
Formal physical activities, and 26 different informal physical activities and 8 related to physical activities at school or therapy. |
- The study did not examine contextual factors related to physical activity, only sensory processing. |
- Caregiver Questionnaire |
Significant weak correlations between children's sensory search patterns and participation in the process of formal and informal physical activity were found. |
- Body Mass Index and Percentile |
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Significant relations between infant Body Mass Index (BMI), BMI percentage, and weight percentages and participation in physical activity program, that is, higher BMI and weight were associated with lesser participation in informal physical activity program. |
Weight-for-Age Percentile |
EUA |
Kirby et al. (2015)Kirby, A. V., Little, L. M., Schultz, B., & Baranek, G. T. (2015). Observational characterization of sensory interests, repetitions, and seeking behaviors. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 69(3), 1-9. Score 6/8 and 2/2 |
Video-recorded behavioral encoding, data from a cross-sectional sample |
- 116 children aged 2 to 12 years divided in three groups: ASD n = 40, DD n = 37, and TD n = 39. * DD: Developmental Dysfunction |
The coders reached 86.4% overall agreement, with 88.2% in the ASD group, 82.6% in the DD group and 88.7% in the typical development (TD) group. |
- Video only encoding |
Highest average global SIRS scores in ASD group, followed by DD group and TD group. |
Autism: Autism Diagnostic Observational Schedule (ADOS), Autism Diagnostic Interview (ADI) and childhood autism scoring (CARS). |
Bonferroni correlation revealed significant differences in mean SIRS scores between the ASD group and the other two groups; the DD and TD groups did not differ significantly from one another. |
Development: Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (VABS), Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL), Leiter International Performance Scale (Revised). |
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Younger children with ASD demonstrated more Sensory interests, repetitions, and seeking (SIRS) than children with typical development (TD). |
- Application of instruments in school context only |
Sensory Experiences Questionnaire (Baranek, 1999Baranek, G. T. (1999). Sensory Experiences Questionnaire (SEQ). Chapel Hill, NC, USA: University of North Carolina.) |
Significant differences between groups for posture, avoidance, proprioception and fixation behaviors. |
- The function or meaning of the SIRS has not been examined. |
Sensory Profile (SP) (Dunn, 1999Dunn, W. (1999). Sensory profile. San Antonio: Psychological Corporation.) |
ASD engage in much more posture and observation behaviors than the other two groups and demonstrated significantly more proprioceptive and attachment behaviors than the TD group. |
USA |
Wink et al. (2017)Wink, S., McKeown, L., & Casey, J. (2017). Parents’ perspectives of using a therapeutic listening program with their children with sensory processing difficulties: a qualitative study. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools & Early Intervention, 10(2), 147-170. Score 3/8 and 1/2 |
Qualitative study of phenomenological approach |
- 10 parents of seven boys and three girls from 3 to 5 years old with sensory processing difficulties |
Improvement in children's mood and emotionally reactive behavior, with marked reduction in distress and anxiety-related aggression due to intervention (LT). |
- Characteristics and size of the sample |
Parents rated their children calmer and, consequently, better able to regulate their emotional responses, greater tolerance to daily sensory stimuli. |
Semi-structured interview for parents |
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Improvements in children's social participation, as well as reduced aggression during social interactions and participation in activities. |
- Little descriptive data |
The authors identified satisfactory parent engagement to comply with the intervention program, which they attribute to the success of the intervention and the results achieved. |
- Subjective findings |
Listening protocol: The child completed two 30-minute listening sessions per day. |
- Weaknesses related to intervention fidelity |
England |
- Could not state that the intervention was responsible for changes in children |
Park (2012)Park, M. (2012). Pleasure, throwing breaches, and embodied metaphors: tracing transformations-in-participation for a child with autism to a sensory integration—based therapy session. OTJR: Occupational Therapy Journal of Research, 32(Suppl. 1), S34-S47. Score 4/8 and 2/2 |
Narrative-based ethnography study |
Three occupational therapists working on the Ayres Sensory Integration (ASI) approach. |
A new look through narratives about the effectiveness of an Ayres Sensory Integration approach. |
Type of study (ethinography) |
Footage of 27 50-minute sessions, including therapist-parent / guardian interaction and therapists' verbal reflections before or immediately after the sessions, |
Five 5-year-old preschoolers (3 ASD and 2 Attention Deficit Hyperreactivity Disorder (ADHD) with motor problems linked to challenges of school participation |
Pleasure as the element that facilitates transformations in social relationship and reciprocity. |
Narrative and aesthetic features may prove incompatible with the dominant biomedical-positivist metaphors in health-related research. |
Recording at least one 60- to 120-minute narrative interview with therapists and key caregivers. |
Child participation during interventions makes them more effective in other contexts. |
Canada - USA |
Lin et al. (2012)Lin, C. L., Min, Y. F., Chou, L. W., & Lin, C. K. (2012). Effectiveness of sensory processing strategies on activity level in inclusive preschool classrooms. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 8, 475-481. Score 7/8 and 2/2 |
Pre-test and post-test control group, random assignment to a control group or intervention group. |
Thirty six preschool children from 4 Taiwanese schools with sensory processing dysfunction, typical development and therapeutic treatment |
Activity level, energy expenditure, activity intensity and foot swaying episodes between the two groups showed greater improvement in the intervention group than in the control group although the difference did not reach statistical significance. |
Use of physical activity monitor may have influenced children's attention. |
Ten teachers (83.3%) agreed that the sensory processing strategy could be integrated with teaching activities. |
Actical® Physical Activity Monitor (Mini Mitter Company, Bend, OR) |
The most effective sensory devices were the clay bag, waterbed, ball chair, and tactile ball. |
Results from this sample may not accurately represent results from the total sample. |
Taiwan |